Chapter 52 – The Hanakage’s Summons

The midday sun glistened over Hanagakure's central tower, its mirrored petals casting reflections across the courtyard like fragmented memories.

Team Kaien had just returned from a scouting mission when a white-robed shinobi approached them at the village gates.

"You are to report immediately to the Hanakage's chamber," the messenger said, voice clipped, expression unreadable.

Shisui exchanged glances with Makoto Rinari, his keen-eyed teammate known for her precise wirework and silent genjutsu. Beside her, the bright and unpredictable Yua Haneshiro twirled her dual tonfa, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Hanakage-sama calling us in person?" Makoto muttered. "That's rare."

"Let's go," said Kaien Yuuro, their enigmatic team leader. His dark purple flak jacket was already stained from battle, but his expression betrayed no fatigue—only vigilance.

The four made their way through the winding corridors of the Bloom Palace until they reached the Hanakage's sanctum, where Lady Mizuki Hanairo, the Fourth Hanakage, awaited them beneath a flowering ceiling of suspended cherry branches.

Her violet robes shimmered with sealing glyphs, and her expression was grave.

"You've all grown," she said, folding her hands before her. "But I need you to grow faster."

Without delay, she projected an illusionary map between them—a shimmering topographic rendering of a vast crater valley surrounded by levitating cliffs and spiraling waterfalls.

"This is your next mission: infiltration and diplomacy at Jūryokugakure, the Village Hidden in Gravity."

Gasps rippled through the team.

"That village never lets outsiders in," Yua said, blinking. "Why now?"

"Because the Gravity Heartstone is pulsing again," the Hanakage replied. "And when that happens, balance is disturbed. Reports suggest Arch Energy fluctuations and tectonic disturbances linked to the Heartstone's core."

Kaien narrowed his eyes. "You want us to investigate?"

"I want you to survive," Mizuki replied. "You'll go under the banner of scientific cooperation—but you'll be our eyes. Watch their Sōkage, Oshitari Zanka. He's a master of Jūton: Zero Point Art… and he doesn't like surprises."

Shisui's eyes glowed faintly. "What kind of danger are we walking into?"

The Hanakage turned toward him. "A world where the weight of truth could crush even your spirit."

She stepped forward, placing a scroll in Shisui's hand.

"It's time you learned how gravity shapes more than the earth—it shapes hearts, loyalty, and legacy."